


bad habit

by milfbyers



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:22:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27626015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milfbyers/pseuds/milfbyers
Summary: joyce calls karen in the middle of the night. she doesn't really know why.
Relationships: Joyce Byers/Karen Wheeler
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	bad habit

the hallway was dark. joyce could barely see the little owls on her socks (a birthday gift from jonathan) as she stared at her feet with her hand wrapped around the phone. the clock above the stove read “1:25”. it was late, she shouldn’t be calling.

joyce also shouldn’t be standing in the cold hallway, a thin cardigan wrapped around her shoulders and wearing pajama pants that were an inch too short, she should be in bed next to her husband. she should be curled into his warm side, her lips brushing against the tender skin of the base of his neck.

but he wasn’t home and she wasn’t in bed and there’s a lot of ‘shoulds’ they could be doing but joyce and lonnie never fit into the ‘perfect marriage’ mold anyways. maybe that’s why she was making this phone call at almost 2 am. maybe that’s why she felt so alone. maybe that’s why joyce did a lot of things she did.

she tried not to think about that for too long (the flinching, the shuddering breath before admitting she had an issue with how her husband was acting, the apologies that didn’t fit correctly in her mouth because she shouldn’t be the one to always say “i’m sorry”) so instead she lifted her hand and dialed.

joyce knew karen probably wouldn’t answer, that she would hear the beep at the end of the family voicemail and hang up before her breathing could be recorded. she pulled at the string on her sleeve as she took in a breath. 

“hello?” joyce raised an eyebrow at the groggy, confused voice on the other end. she was silent, unable to move her mouth because she was sure her heart was sitting right on her tongue. “hello? who is this?” karen repeated, a slight tone of annoyance sharpening the edges of her words. 

“h-hi, karen. hi, sorry. it’s joyce” her voice was small. it reminded her of the tone she took when lonnie raised his voice (or his fist). “joyce,” karen breathed into the phone, “why are you calling so late? what’s wrong?” 

joyce felt her bottom lip tremble. she moved her weight from one foot to the other and coughed to clear the sob from her throat. “oh, uh, nothing. i just- i just need someone? right now?” her confession made her chest ache with guilt. there were few things she hated more than admitting she needed someone, that she needed help.

karen sighed again. if she closed her eyes, joyce could see the rise of her chest, the curve of her collarbones that probably held the same cross necklace they had for almost ten years. god, how badly joyce wanted to kiss there again, to pull the skin against her teeth to leave marks karen would protest about the next day but the blush on her cheeks told joyce how she really felt. 

“i’m here, joyce, i can listen,” karen’s voice had lost its edge. it was replaced with a tone that made warmth spread into joyce’s chest. she thought maybe everything would be okay if karen talked to her like that every day for the rest of her life. she ached for the time there used to be a chance she thought that would happen.

joyce cleared her throat, “are you sure? i can let you go back to bed-” but karen cut her off. “joyce, if i wanted to go back to bed, i wouldn’t still be on the line. now, talk to me… please.” the desperation in karen’s voice made joyce think maybe she isn’t so alone, that maybe if she reached out just a little further, karen’s hand would find hers in the dark.

“lonnie hasn’t been home in three days, i think- i think this may be it for…” she trailed off. the weight of the announcement of her divorce sat heavily on her shoulders. the time on the clock became blurry from her tears. she blinked, desperate to get rid of them, but a few fell and created wet trails down her cheeks. joyce’s voice shook when she spoke again,“i’m sorry- it’s been a hard few… few months.” 

the two women sat in silence. joyce started to chew on her bottom lip. she worried she had said too much, gave karen too much baggage to help unpack. the silence was interrupted, “honey, i’m so sorry.” karen’s voice made joyce’s stomach turn. it made her skin crawl when people talked to her like that. when her name held too much sympathy in someone’s mouth, with their eyebrows creased with worry when they looked at her. 

“you don’t have to be sorry, karen, i just need to tell someone and i can’t exactly tell the boys yet” joyce’s chest pulled at the thought of sitting her boys down at the kitchen table to tell them their dad isn’t coming home, that it’s just the three of them-

she was taken from her thoughts when karen spoke again, her voice even softer than before, “i’m here to listen, i’m here for you. you’re not alone.” joyce wiped at her eyes, more tears pooling underneath her chin. “and, when you’re ready and if you need… a friend, i can be with you when you tell the boys”

joyce bit back another sob. the offer of friendship, the offer of companionship overwhelmed her. she wasn’t used to taking without feeling guilty. most things she did these days were accompanied by guilt. she was slowly getting used to it.

“i would like that,” she whispered into the phone, her voice wet with emotion. she could hear karen’s smile when she spoke, “good. now, go get some rest, joyce. i’ll see you soon, okay?” joyce nodded, “see you soon.” she hung up the phone and turned on her heels to go back to her room. but the fact of it being empty wasn’t as scary as it was before. 

karen showed up the next afternoon with a casserole and a hand held out for joyce to take that she accepted without the pull of guilt in her chest.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading <3 milfbyers on twitter


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